I think problem solving is a key skill and is something I rate quite highly in an individual. It shows a methodical approach and a positive attitude to work.

My approach to problem solving is indeed that there must be a way to do something. You just have to know where to look. So use all the resources available to you. Use your peers on various forums for any pointers (you won't always find the exact answer you want). Use Google and read plenty of technical articles. Check for any errors and again investigate. Try a simple less efficient approach to get a solution then work on making it better.

It sounds simple but I have lost count the number of times I have been told about a failed job or process followed by "What shall I do?". At this point I try to encourage the person to follow the points in the paragraph above, even if I have an idea (and depending on the urgency).

Problem solving is a skill, some are born with it, some have to work at it.

The one major thing I see missing in the article is the question of whether there needs to be a solution. Businesses evolve quicker than we realise, and quite often a rethink of a business process will allow for a lot of simplification - or at least redesign. As a result, I would suggest the first question isn't "how do I solve this?" but instead "can I remove the problem in the first place?". Even if a problem can't be removed, it's still all too forgotten that the problem can often be changed so as to make the potential solution easier to find.

Doesn't always apply, but just remember a bit of lateral thinking is worth trying.

david.wright-948385 (7/8/2014)All good, positive stuff, but it sounded a bit like the sermon on the mount!

Really, sermon on the mount? Have you read that lately? When Jesus was teaching it was not about never give up, it was him saying he is "the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

My motivation to write this piece had to do with my own problems at work. Sometimes you feel, or at least I feel worn down, by the issues at work. Sometimes, you don't feel like solving another difficult problem that you aren't even sure if their is a good solution to. Yet each time, I come back to the problem, believe there is a solution and end up finding one.

majorbloodnock (7/8/2014)The one major thing I see missing in the article is the question of whether there needs to be a solution. Businesses evolve quicker than we realise, and quite often a rethink of a business process will allow for a lot of simplification - or at least redesign. As a result, I would suggest the first question isn't "how do I solve this?" but instead "can I remove the problem in the first place?". Even if a problem can't be removed, it's still all too forgotten that the problem can often be changed so as to make the potential solution easier to find.

Doesn't always apply, but just remember a bit of lateral thinking is worth trying.

It also need be said that a high-tech solution isn't always the best solution or even a better solution.

I work at a bio-repository with literally hundreds of ultra-low temperature freezers (-80 to -180 degrees C). Staff were complaining they had to write on a paper form every time they accessed a given unit and wanted to know if we could capture that electronically using a database and a bunch of sensors or some kind of mobile technology.

I told them that a piece of paper was really the cheapest and most efficient solution for the purpose.

One other random thought: Good technology rarely if ever "solves" a bad process. Only changing the process does that.

____________Just my $0.02 from over here in the cheap seats of the peanut gallery - please adjust for inflation and/or your local currency.

I thought that it was more of a motivational style then lecturing. Some love it, some don't. Personally, I take from editorials of this style the anecdotal knowledge and like to debate the best practices for such scenarios. I am sure some people don't like my style of response.

To quote a great comedy: "Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!!!" i.e. write what you feel and be damned

Gary Varga (7/8/2014)I thought that it was more of a motivational style then lecturing. Some love it, some don't. Personally, I take from editorials of this style the anecdotal knowledge and like to debate the best practices for such scenarios. I am sure some people don't like my style of response.

To quote a great comedy: "Don't panic Mr Mainwaring!!!" i.e. write what you feel and be damned

I'd agree.

On an international forum, style will never fit all readers, at best being a reasonable compromise. Ben's article was definitely a bit "Ra-Ra" by UK standards (for example), but the message was pertinent and we can all do with a kick up the backside from time to time.